VISITS TO CAPE VERDEAN COMMUNITIES AND CAPE VERDE

Last year, I made trips to New York City, Providence, Rhode Island; Boston, Massachusetts and Los Angeles to meet with Cape Verdean - American and Jewish communities and inform them about the goals of CVJHP. Thanks to a generous grant from the Stanley and Marion Bergman Family Charitable Fund and to the Cape Verdean Airline, TACV, I was able to travel to Cape Verde in December 2008 to visit and assess the state of the Jewish cemeteries. I also met with local officials and descendants of the Jewish families who vowed to resuscitate AMICAEL--the Cape Verde-Israel Friendship Society in an effort to assist with all aspects of the Project in Cape Verde. During that trip, I also established relationships between CVJHP and the mayors of the islands where the cemeteries are located. They pledged strong cooperation and support. Prime Minister Jose Neves, Minister of Culture Emanuel Veiga and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Brito as well as other officials, reiterated their commitment to the Project.